James Buchanan holds the generally accepted position as the worst President in the history of the United States. At least until historians start writing news lists in a few years. No doubt then he will move up a position. Of course, it’s possible that he will move up much further, but that will depend upon what can be proven about his personal life, other than the wild drinking, that is.

Far worse than his subservience to the slaveholding Southern States, was something he did while he was still the President-Elect. He wrote a letter to a Supreme Court Justice and “encouraged” him to make a ruling a certain way. He all but announced the ruling in his inaugural address, and then two days later watched as the Supreme Court handed him his ruling and had it blow up, not just in his own, but the entire countries face.

Of course, it all started a few years before when Congress, led by Henry Clay, made a compromise that allowed the nation to back away from a civil war and admit a couple of new States. Later, Congress would amend its compromise in the worst possible way, and combined with Buchanan’s desired ruling, the whole thing blew apart. Nero may have fiddled while Rome burned,* but it was James Buchanan who sat in the White House and drank his favorite wine with a whiskey chaser while the nation commenced the worst four-year period in our history.

All after the worst Supreme Court ruling of all time was delivered two days after James Buchanan became the worst President of all time.